Steven Soderbergh returns with The Christophers, a talky art-world dramedy starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, arriving in theaters on April 10
The filmmaker Steven Soderbergh returns with The Christophers, a character-driven dramedy that unspools in the eccentric corridors of the contemporary art world. After premiering at TIFF and attracting distributor interest, Neon set an April 10 theatrical release for the film. The cast—led by Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel with supporting turns from James Corden and Jessica Gunning—anchors a plot built around forgery, familial tension, and creative legacy.
The newly released trailer establishes the film’s tonal mix of wit and melancholy, offering extended dialogue scenes and moments of quiet confrontation. At its center is Julian Sklar, portrayed by Ian McKellen, a once-celebrated painter from London’s 1960s–70s pop art milieu who has gone decades without producing new work. Into his orbit enters Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), an art restorer and former forger hired by Sklar’s estranged children to manipulate a set of unfinished canvases known as the Christophers.
The core conceit is simple but ripe for character play: Barnaby and Sallie Sklar (played by James Corden and Jessica Gunning) are desperate for an inheritance and recruit Lori to infiltrate Julian’s household under the guise of assistance. The plan is for Lori to complete and then conceal eight incomplete paintings so they can be “discovered” later and monetized. As the scheme unfolds, loyalties shift and the relationships between artist, impostor, and heirs become the film’s emotional engine.
The Christophers foregrounds performance-driven scenes: the trailer highlights extended exchanges between McKellen and Coel that carry much of the film’s weight. McKellen’s portrayal of a faded icon—a man who has stopped creating yet remains culturally significant—has been singled out as a potentially awards-friendly turn. The script includes contributions from screenwriter Ed Solomon, whose known voice supplies the film with sharp, quotable lines.
Pairing a veteran like Ian McKellen with the combustible energy of Michaela Coel shapes the movie’s chemistry. Critics at festival screenings noted the duo as an “irresistible match,” and reviewers observed that much of the film’s intrigue depends on how these two actors negotiate long conversational sequences. Supporting players such as James Corden and Jessica Gunning add both comic unease and opportunistic scheming to the mix.
Following its TIFF premiere, The Christophers secured a deal with Neon, which released the first trailer ahead of the April 10 theatrical date. Festival coverage described the movie as talky, often funny, and occasionally tipping into thriller territory with its plot reversals. At the same time, some critics found the visual language and dramatic pacing less adventurous than the material promised, noting a reliance on dialogue-heavy scenes.
Within the wider awards conversation, observers have pointed to McKellen as the most plausible contender for season recognition. Given his long career and prior nominations, a strong late-career lead performance could attract voters’ attention. Industry chatter also situates the film amid the director’s recent output and the broader landscape of releases that have been jockeying for critical and awards visibility.
The trailer runs just over two minutes and focuses on establishing the premise, exposing the con at the heart of the narrative while teasing the cat-and-mouse energy that develops between Lori and Julian. Viewers are introduced to the idea of forgery as craft, the moral ambiguity around artistic authenticity, and the familial desperation driving the Sklar heirs. Expect a mix of comedy, tense conversation, and slow-burn revelations rather than broad, action-based spectacle.
For audiences who follow Soderbergh’s career, this project continues his interest in formal play and character studies within genre frameworks. After several theatrical releases in recent seasons, this film represents another phase of his prolific output—one focused less on high-concept thrills and more on the interior lives of its central players.
With an April 10 release scheduled, The Christophers will be available to theater audiences soon. The trailer frames the film as an intimate, dialogue-forward entry into the art-world satire canon, offering a lead pairing whose performances will likely determine how broadly the movie resonates with critics and awards voters.